The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago welcomes Harmony Health
June 2, 2008
Acupuncture practitioner Kellylee Whiteside of Harmony Health provides treatments in a calming environment much different from a physician’s clinic. Once stepping beyond the red entrance door nobody would suspect they are actually in a hospital. “Most of my patients sleep during treatment,” she says. The comfortable, spa-like treatment rooms are much like those used for massage therapy, featuring soft lighting, candles and soothing music or the sounds of nature playing on the audio system. Preconceptions of painful therapies involving needles begin to fade away as Whiteside explains the simple concepts underlying acupuncture and oriental, or Chinese medicine and how they relieve pain very effectively.
“It’s all about the movement of blood and energy in the body,” she explains. In oriental medicine, this energy is known as Qi (pronounced chee). “Qi is the vital life force and energy that nourishes and promotes the body’s natural healing process,” Whiteside says. According to traditional Chinese medical theory, pain and illness arise when the cyclical flow of Qi or blood becomes unbalanced or blocked. “Acupuncture restores the proper balance of Qi and blood, allowing the body to correct itself,” she explains.
Whiteside and her colleagues, Lisa Corrigan-Bilkey, Denise Jenderzak, and Michelle Leno, have earned board certification in oriental medicine from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). The four professionals are part of an expanding trend for practitioners of oriental medicine to work closely with medical doctors. “The Chinese medicine approach is in some ways a deeper, more comprehensive approach to pain management,” says Daniel J. Hurley, MD, CINN physiatrist. He has been instrumental in integrating the acupuncture practitioners into the treatment team at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago. “They look at your body with a whole different map,” Dr. Hurley explains, using the analogy of two different types of telescopes. “In Western medicine, we look at the universe with a regular telescope and we can see all the stars and the galaxies. An acupuncturist trained in Chinese medicine might say, ‘we use a radio telescope—we listen to the universe.’”
“By applying both methods (Western and Chinese), we can help people who weren’t getting anywhere with either method. The two are very synchronistic; they work well together,” comments Lisa Corrigan-Bilkey.
Listen to a podcast of Kellylee Whiteside speak about “Acupuncture as a Treatment for Pain”:
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How Acupuncturists Treat Pain
Only after a great deal of questioning, listening and observing do acupuncturists place needles on a patient’s body. Unlike a hypodermic needle, which is hollow to allow for fluid exchange, acupuncture needles are filaments that are disposable and individually sealed for sterility. Some of the needles are as thin as a hair and, in most individuals, cause little or no pain even though they puncture the skin.
The needles relieve the stagnation or weakness of blood and Qi. Blood stagnation may be caused by local trauma, such as heavy lifting, a sports injury, or an accident. In these cases, inflammation or bruising will occur at the site of the trauma. Qi stagnation can be caused by stress, diet, lack of exercise, arthritis or emotional factors. A long history of Qi stagnation can also cause blood stagnation. In some cases, blood or Qi stagnation may signal infections or other pathologies.1
Like flowing water that travels through rivers and streams, Qi flows through channels of the body known in oriental medicine as meridians. Whiteside explains that the network of 12-plus major meridians roughly corresponds to the location of major organ structures. Acupuncturists insert needles near the location of the pain and at other strategic locations to stimulate blood and Qi movement, thereby relieving pain. “The acupoints are located on the meridians where nerve endings are located,” says Denise Jenderzak, explaining that the stimulation of these nerve endings causes the brain to release endorphins. “When you release those endorphins and remove the stagnation through meridians, pain is relieved.”
Closely Observing Each Patient
Before beginning treatment, acupuncturists trained in oriental medicine do an extensive health intake and evaluation with each patient. This process can last for an hour to an hour and a half, with the acupuncturist asking an extensive series of questions and reading “pulses” corresponding to the different meridian systems. They also closely observe each patient, paying special attention to the patient’s mental outlook and the color of his or her complexion and tongue – key health indicators in oriental medicine.
“Oriental medicine originated 5,000 years ago,” Whiteside says. “Autopsies were not performed, as it would have been sacrilegious to be invasive. Instead, they studied living people.” In oriental medicine, observation is key, she emphasizes. “We observe all aspects of a person - mannerisms, emotions, coloring, lines on the face, constitution, and the functions of body systems that can impact the problem.”
The acupuncturists ask a lot of questions about the pain – where is it located?, does it move?, where does it travel?, is it dull and constant?, or is it sharp and stabbing? Answers to these questions help them determine where blood and Qi are stagnated and which meridians are weak. “Treatment is a two-step process,” Jenderzak says. “Improve the circulation of stagnant Qi and blood to reduce pain and then, very importantly, strengthen the underlying weak areas to prevent or reduce the re-occurrence of stagnation.” There is no miracle, “one-treatment” cure; consistency is key to treatment, she emphasizes.
A Focus on Back Pain
While a significant percentage of patients at Harmony Health have back pain as a primary concern, “it makes no sense to us to just treat a symptom. Not everyone with pain originating at the base of the spine will get the same treatment,” Corrigan-Bilkey says.
For example, Lisa Corrigan-Bilkey says that back pain is commonly treated by addressing the kidney meridian, which starts at the bottom of the foot and goes up the shin and leg through the stomach and ends near the clavicle bone. Whiteside adds that back pain is sometimes associated with the bladder meridian or liver meridian. While the meridian names have the nomenclature of Western organ systems and correspond to the systems to a certain extent, the meridian names are “metaphorical, not necessarily an anatomical description,” says Dr. Hurley.
The acupuncturists often become involved before surgery, to see if acupuncture treatment can help patients to manage the pain and avoid surgery. If surgery is required for back pain, acupuncture can significantly reduce recovery time by making patients more receptive to healing. “There’s also increased anxiety when preparing for and recovering from surgery,” Jenderzak says. “Acupuncture can ease this anxiety and the side effects of medications, improve the circulation to speed healing, and make patients more receptive to recovery.”
Overcoming Skepticism or Lack of Information
While some skepticism still exists, all three acupuncturists agree that it is fading as health care professionals and patients learn more about acupuncture. “Most physicians can’t deny the positive results they see in their patients who come to us for treatment. They may not fully understand how acupuncture works but are getting curious enough to call and inquire further,” Whiteside remarks.
Patients are becoming especially positive about acupuncture, she adds. “The public is actively seeking other forms of treatment therapy,” Whiteside says. “Many have been referred by friends, co-workers, other practitioners or have been researching on the Internet.”
Acupuncture’s benefits are now well documented and backed by research. Several controlled studies have demonstrated acupuncture’s effectiveness in decreasing pain. Research shows that acupuncture helps produce natural steroids and endorphins that kill pain, Corrigan-Bilkey says. She adds that acupuncture can decrease inflammation, help to avoid surgery and costly interventions, and reduce need for medications and painkillers. In fact, the World Health Organization developed a list of about 40 medical conditions that can be positively affected by acupuncture.
Other Therapies
Acupuncturists also encourage back pain patients, when appropriate, to consider therapies relating to diet and exercise. Harmony Health also offers Chinese nutritional counseling. “Pain results from inflammation, and there are foods that cause inflammation,” Whiteside explains. “We increase patients’ awareness of things they are putting into their body that are causing reactions.” When appropriate, Whiteside and her colleagues may recommend Chinese herbal remedies but they tend to start patients slowly. “Less is more,” Whiteside explains. “We like to start simple and go from there.”
Dr. Hurley, his physiatrist partners, and the acupuncturists are enthusiastic about exercises that build core strength, flexibility and resilience, such as pilates, yoga, tai chi and feldenkrais. “Exercise is a very important part of lifestyle change,” says Corrigan-Bilkey. For example, Dr. Hurley says feldenkrais, due to its emphasis on gentle spine movement, is often a good exercise for an individual to start with before moving into more challenging techniques such as pilates or yoga.
Training and Team Approach Improve Patient Care
All of Harmony Health’s acupuncturists received four-year master’s degrees in oriental medicine. They all believe very strongly in the value that training and board certification in oriental medicine bring to patients, explaining that some licensed practitioners receive very limited training or are not fully credentialed in oriental medicine. They encourage physicians who refer patients to acupuncturists to check credentials and ensure acupuncturists are board certified by the NCCAOM.
The training and expertise provided by the Harmony Health team bring considerable value to patients, Dr. Hurley says. “Our mindset is always ‘who else is available to help,’” he explains. “Our approach is that we can do something. You have to be creative and look for what’s possible.” This mindset, coupled with a belief that there are many different ways to approach a problem, led him to learn more about acupuncture and establish working relationships with the acupuncturists.
“I haven’t had a back pain patient that hasn’t gotten some relief in some way with dedicated treatment,” says Whiteside. “We live and function because blood and Qi circulates.” All of the Harmony Health practitioners believe strongly in this statement and how acupuncture can cause optimal circulation of blood and Qi. “When you struggle with pain, it affects every aspect of your life,” Whiteside says. “Acupuncture gets to the root of pain by balancing the entire body, mind and spirit. Balance is healthy.”
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